Republican establishment should let them, these teabaggers with their crazy rhetoric are making the whole party appear to be insane people from the stoneage. The rich guy image is a much better one because atleast people aspire to be rich, nobody normal aspires to be a pray the gay away life coach.

Bachmann is from an insanely red gerrymandered district.....she still may not win because people heard her "thoughts" during the presidential campaign. Minnesotan's are generally pretty laid back, I'm hoping they stay away from her because she rocks the boat too much.

Headso:Republican establishment should let them, these teabaggers with their crazy rhetoric are making the whole party appear to be insane people from the stoneage. The rich guy image is a much better one because atleast people aspire to be rich, nobody normal aspires to be a pray the gay away life coach.

The flip side: why do the Democrats want to defeat these four? They are some of the best tools the Dems have for attracting independents.

Dems are actually spending a little money this time trying to make Bachmann, King, Walker and West go away instead of not seriously challenging them and letting them be walking advertisements for what is wrong with the GOP?

Wellon Dowd:Headso: Republican establishment should let them, these teabaggers with their crazy rhetoric are making the whole party appear to be insane people from the stoneage. The rich guy image is a much better one because atleast people aspire to be rich, nobody normal aspires to be a pray the gay away life coach.

The flip side: why do the Democrats want to defeat these four? They are some of the best tools the Dems have for attracting independents.

Yes, but then they get seated in Congress and "A Bill to Herp All the Derp" becomes law. "A Bill Affirming that Obama's Job-Killing Decision to Rename the Chester P. Thomas Post Office to the Thomas P. Chester Post Office is a Liberal Plot to Destroy America with Shariah Law" is not really something Congress should spend its time on - even the first 5 minutes of committee meetings (known in the chamber as "silly time").

The "gain" was when these Teabags knocked out respected Republicans in the primaries in the first place. (Respected by the GOP, anyway.)

Wellon Dowd:Headso: Republican establishment should let them, these teabaggers with their crazy rhetoric are making the whole party appear to be insane people from the stoneage. The rich guy image is a much better one because atleast people aspire to be rich, nobody normal aspires to be a pray the gay away life coach.

The flip side: why do the Democrats want to defeat these four? They are some of the best tools the Dems have for attracting independents.

This. The democrats should try to defeat all the other republicans in congress, but leave these 4 be. Let the crazies become the face of the gop.

quatchi:Dems are actually spending a little money this time trying to make Bachmann, King, Walker and West go away instead of not seriously challenging them and letting them be walking advertisements for what is wrong with the GOP?

Interesting strategy.

/Oh, please, oh, please, oh, please.

I think part of it is that, if you take out the more prominent Tea Party members, you might be able to get the more moderate Republicans to cross the aisle on legislation. If you show that the extremists are falling out of favor, it promotes moving back toward moderation.

That plus the Democrats need to pick up every seat leaning their way, every seat that's a toss-up, and a dozen seats leaning in the Republican's favor just to squeak by and recapture the House, and that's a tall order without attacking some of the "safer" candidates.

EighthDay:quatchi: Dems are actually spending a little money this time trying to make Bachmann, King, Walker and West go away instead of not seriously challenging them and letting them be walking advertisements for what is wrong with the GOP?

Interesting strategy.

/Oh, please, oh, please, oh, please.

I think part of it is that, if you take out the more prominent Tea Party members, you might be able to get the more moderate Republicans to cross the aisle on legislation. If you show that the extremists are falling out of favor, it promotes moving back toward moderation.

That plus the Democrats need to pick up every seat leaning their way, every seat that's a toss-up, and a dozen seats leaning in the Republican's favor just to squeak by and recapture the House, and that's a tall order without attacking some of the "safer" candidates.

Reminds me of Howard Dean's 50 State Strategy from back in 06-08.

The problem with the 50 state strategy is it's impossible to have party-line unity. The Republicans have chosen party unity, and as a result they have a rock-solid but shrinking core in a limited geographical area. The Democrats have chosen to have a wide geographic area, but that results in having senators like Nelson and Manchin in your caucus. You can't have both at once; it's just not possible. I still think it's better to have Blue Dogs that vote with you 75% of the time than having a minority. There are lots of people who think otherwise though.

Wellon Dowd:The flip side: why do the Democrats want to defeat these four? They are some of the best tools the Dems have for attracting independents.

A valid point, but these four are such loathsome people (including Gohmert) that the political benefits of keeping them around are, at least in my mind, not worth it. And since the Democrats, even if they take these four out, are not likely to regain the House, getting rid of these assholes becomes even more important, especially in the case of Bachmann and King, because they hold senior leadership positions.

God, next to Rick Santorum, Steve King is the politician I'd most like to cockpunch until he passes out, then as he wakes up, kick him in the face.

ArkPanda:I still think it's better to have Blue Dogs that vote with you 75% of the time than having a minority.

But it's not just that.

In a world where obstructionism isn't the norm, having Blue Dogs means you, theoretically, have moderate Republicans. By having the majority, you control the committees, as well as control the agenda. Those are huge bonuses. If you can get a couple from the minority party to work with you, it changes the landscape of legislation significantly.

Headso:Republican establishment should let them, these teabaggers with their crazy rhetoric are making the whole party appear to be insane people from the stoneage. The rich guy image is a much better one because atleast people aspire to be rich, nobody normal aspires to be a pray the gay away life coach.

Headso:Republican establishment should let them, these teabaggers with their crazy rhetoric are making the whole party appear to be insane people from the stoneage. The rich guy image is a much better one because atleast people aspire to be rich, nobody normal aspires to be a pray the gay away life coach.

This is true. Take Mitt Romney. I haven't heard from anyone who really likes him, but I do know people who are voting for him because he knows how to make money, and they think that know-how will help America. I disagree with them (because he knows how to turn well-paying jobs into poor-paying jobs), but I do understand that sort of thinking. I don't get the sort of thinking that results in Michelle Bachmann making laws.

HMS_Blinkin:Wellon Dowd: Headso: Republican establishment should let them, these teabaggers with their crazy rhetoric are making the whole party appear to be insane people from the stoneage. The rich guy image is a much better one because atleast people aspire to be rich, nobody normal aspires to be a pray the gay away life coach.

The flip side: why do the Democrats want to defeat these four? They are some of the best tools the Dems have for attracting independents.

This. The democrats should try to defeat all the other republicans in congress, but leave these 4 be. Let the crazies become the face of the gop.

Perhaps they are more concerned with having a functional legislature than having short-term electoral success? Probably not, I'm just spitballing.

ArkPanda:EighthDay: quatchi:[deletia]The problem with the 50 state strategy is it's impossible to have party-line unity. The Republicans have chosen party unity, and as a result they have a rock-solid but shrinking core in a limited geographical area. The Democrats have chosen to have a wide geographic area, but that results in having senators like Nelson and Manchin in your caucus.[deletia]

Gaze upon Mount Herpaderp and tell me that an American party is not the answer to the Party of Derp. If you wonder why Romney is solidly in second place in the polls, remember that he consistently ran second against Bachmann and the rest of the band of bozos.

The Democrats have taken over everything from left to right and left the far right to the Republicans (presumably the Greens have the far left, but they don't own the media). You would be hard pressed to show how Obama is somehow left of Nixon, or even Reagan. As much as the left might want a party of their own, one look at Mount Herpaderp (and a few minutes of unedited Romney blather) sends them back to the Democrats.